The Colts continued their 2024 season at home on Sunday against an NFC foe in the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were 5-2 on the year, coming off a week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Colts saw the benching of starting QB Anthony Richardson in place of 39 year old Joe Flacco.
The Colts now sit at 4-5, currently second in the AFC South and 2 wins back from the leaders the Houston Texans. The Colts fall back below .500 at the half way point of the season. The national media have moved the Colts down in the power rankings board after their loss against the Vikings. Here is how the Colts stack up in the week 10 power rankings.
ESPN has the Colts at 21.
“The Colts’ season is in a precarious spot, with Indianapolis falling below .500 after Sunday night’s loss. If the Colts are going to stay in the playoff race, they need to steal a win in a rare home game amid a stretch of five of seven road games. Can the Colts get their offense — and quarterback situation — figured out against a defense that’s top 10 in scoring defense (19.2 points per game), defensive EPA (12.2) and opponent QBR (50.4)?”
NFL.com has the Colts at 21.
“When Shane Steichen made the move to Joe Flacco last week, it sure seemed like the Colts were going headlong into the second half of the season with the veteran the quarterback, no question, while Anthony Richardson remained vaguely in their plans. Then Flacco went out and struggled against the Vikings’ defense, and Steichen was forced to answer questions about potentially making another switch at the position, saying he still considers the 39-year-old his best option “right now.” Remember, Steichen indicated that the move was made more because of what Flacco offered than because of what Richardson did or didn’t do, including the infamous “tap out” on a third-and-goal play in the Colts’ loss to the Texans in Week 8. So now Flacco will be seriously tested against a battering ram in the next three games, with Indy hosting the Bills and Lions, sandwiched around a road game against the desperate Jets. These appear to be shaky times for this team.”
CBS Sports has the Colts at 22.
“The move to bench Anthony Richardson didn’t do much for the offense against the Vikings. Joe Flacco didn’t look great, so how long do they stick with him?”
Bleacher Report has the Colts at 21.
“The Indianapolis Colts were one of the NFL’s most talked-about teams in Week 9 after benching second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco. It was supposed to stabilize the offense and keep the Colts in the thick of the AFC South race.
If Flacco was supposed to be an upgrade on Richardson, it didn’t show Sunday night. Against a Vikings pass defense that entered the game among the worst in the NFL, Flacco finished 16-of-27 for 179 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 63.7. The Colts had their fewest points, yards and first downs of the season.
While addressing the media, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that Flacco will remain Indy’s starter “for now.” “Obviously, he’s played in environments like this before,” Steichen said. “But again, it starts with myself. I’ve got to keep looking at what we’re doing offensively. We have eight [games] left, and I’ve got to look at scheme stuff and see what we’re doing and go from there.”
“Indy’s listless performance against the Vikings clearly demonstrated that Flacco isn’t the answer at quarterback. But the Colts are essentially damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
“Start Anthony Richardson, and the bad habits that have led to some of his struggles could becoming so ingrained that it will be hard for him to turn his career around. Start Flacco, and the Colts are a low-ceiling also-ran that will win just enough games to get buried in the middle of Round 1 in next year’s draft. “Expect a few more weeks of mediocrity with Flacco, followed by the team turning back to Richardson for the stretch run.””
Pro Football Network has the Colts at 22.
“The switch to Joe Flacco was supposed to make the Colts a bigger playoff threat in 2024, but Indianapolis’ offense looked worse than ever in Week 9. They faced a tough defense, so maybe improvement is to come, but both the offense and defense now rank outside the top 20.
Based on the current numbers, Indy’s roster isn’t good enough to compete in the AFC playoff picture despite being very much in the Wild Card race. Chasing a playoff spot in 2024 at the expense of developing their young quarterback appears to be an odd decision.”
